May
18
Amateur or folkstyle wrestling one of the most effective training bases for future Mixed Martial Arts training. The high intensity of the practices develops the mental toughness that will help all athletes greatly. One of the great advantages of amateur wrestling is that it is taught for free at most high schools or at a nominal cost in recreation leagues for younger children.
Coaches in wrestling have focused so much on scramble ability, physical conditioning, and the other athletic aspects of the sport. The vast majority of wrestling practices are regimented affairs that focus on drilling and live wrestling in a very controlled environment. This approach obviously works and kids karate programs should definitely absorb some of the training discipline that wrestlers are famous for. In contrast, we can look at the burgeoning sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling for a different coaching viewpoint.
Coaches in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu often take a more cerebral approach to the training. For example, at the Baltimore Mixed Martial Arts gym that I train at, the coaches will push the students to take notes in classes. At any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class, you will find notebooks and pens scattered across the room, ready for the students to jot down any technical pointers they pick up during the class. Furthermore, all students are encouraged to watch videos of competitions as well as instructionals and share their observations. MMA video instructionals are very popular and you will often find students borrowing each other's DVDs for home study.
Another interesting coaching aspect of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Grappling is the writing of a gameplan. A gameplan is essentially a plan of action for each match that depends on the grapplers own personal preferences. For example, some grapplers might like to attack lower body submissions like heel hooks while others focus on chokes. While all athletes have a gameplan in their heads, very few actually take the time to write one out and use it as a guide for training and competition.
Wrestling takes a far more physical approach, focusing on drilling and intensity. It would be interesting to see how much of a benefit, if any, amateur wrestlers would gain by adding some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu learning techniques to their arsenal.
Adam Delbrugge
